Community Development Master's

Community development is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, equality, economic opportunity and social justice through the organization, education, and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity, or interest, in urban and rural settings.

Graduates in community development work in the public, private and non-governmental sectors.

The award-winning community development program at Kansas State University is going on two decades strong and provides students with access to high-quality content, diverse faculty expertise and attentive staff. We are partnered with the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (GP IDEA). More information about this collaborative program can be found at the GP IDEA website.

The 36-credit-hour community development master’s degree offers an interdisciplinary approach allowing you to customize the program to focus on the topics you need to achieve your professional goals. Focused topics available through the program include:

• Built environment, place-making, and land planning
• Economic development and entrepreneurship
• Natural resource management
• Community engagement
• Social and political capital leveraging
• Tribal, immigrant, refugee, and youth programming
• Asset-based community change

The community development program accepts students year-round on rolling admissions with the option to start in the spring, summer or fall semester. Students will finish in two years taking two courses each semester. Students may choose to take more courses or fewer each semester. The GRE is not required.

The 12-credit online community development graduate certificate is an excellent option for those new to the profession or seeking to advance in their careers through coursework that improves the diversity of their knowledge as well as their ability to be effective and efficient decision-makers.

The certificate includes two core courses and a choice of two electives to customize your focus.

Our online master’s degree in community development will elevate your career through promotions and/or raises. Our graduates advance into leadership positions like executive director, supervisor, program manager or program developer. This program is ideal for current and aspiring professionals and advocates in areas such as:

• community and regional planning
• economic development and entrepreneurship
• community health and wellness
• anti-poverty programs
• cooperative extension
• housing and infrastructure
• nonprofit organizations
• parks and recreation
• natural resource management
• public administration
• tribal, immigrant, refugee and youth programs